


fate hidden deep

by yoonminoml (fanficloverme96)



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sougo is babie, but not literal babie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:27:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25602805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanficloverme96/pseuds/yoonminoml
Summary: Many centuries ago, a small village hidden deep in the mountains had a curse laid upon it, which will last for as long as the village and the descendants of its villagers exist and will take effect once a century.  The victim of the curse will always be a child - who will be born with deep red slitted eyes, scales around their faces, and two stumps on their forehead, which will eventually grow into horns.Often kept isolated from the outside world, it is not until twenty years after its birth that one such child had a fated encounter with an aspiring folklorist, Yostuba Tamaki, who ventures into the mountains to find out the truth behind his mother's stories.
Relationships: Ousaka Sougo/Yotsuba Tamaki
Comments: 8
Kudos: 23





	fate hidden deep

**Author's Note:**

> This work was for a digital MEZZO" zine called Butterflies After the Rain.

Many centuries ago, a small village hidden deep in the mountains had a curse laid upon it after its villagers offended one of the many mountain Gods dwelling in the area. The curse will last for as long as the village and the descendants of its villagers exist and will take effect once a century. 

The victim of the curse will always be a child - who will be born with deep red slitted eyes, scales around their faces, and two stumps on their forehead, which will eventually grow into horns. The cursed child will grow into a Dragon God upon adulthood, and is destined to bring forth bad luck to their family for the next seven generations. 

The child cannot be killed, for it will only hasten the curse. Thus, the family will be forced to keep the child alive and watch it grow, before they will eventually suffer from continuous bad luck for the upcoming years.

A quiet evening was broken by the loud cry of a wailing baby. It was a boy - the first son of the current village head’s family. His birth had been anticipated for a long time by the Osaka family, but the joyous occasion was immediately interrupted as soon as the midwife nervously showed the parents their baby.

There were patches of scales around the baby’s cheeks and throat, and two raised bumps on his forehead. When the baby opened his eyes, his deep red slitted pupils were revealed.

The baby was named Sougo - the first and final gift from his mother - before he was cast away by the Osaka family in hopes to negate the effects of the curse. He was to be sent to a distant neighbouring mountain, where there lay a temple run by priestesses who serve the God of Mercy. 

Sougo was to never be allowed to leave the mountain, nor was he allowed to step foot into the village he came from. Ever since the day he was sent to the temple, no one has heard of him since.

Twenty years passed by quietly.

In the spring of his high school graduation, Yotsuba Tamaki makes up his mind.

He will travel to the place his mother once told him stories of during his childhood - the village lain with a curse from a mountain God, that takes effect once every century. It is that story which sparked his interest in learning folklore, and it takes a lot to interest Tamaki. His dreams are met with a scoff from his father - estranged now; he hasn’t seen him since he and his little sister Aya were dropped off at a childcare centre many years ago after the death of his mother.

It doesn’t matter to him. He never really cares for his father’s opinions anyway.

“You’re going  _ where  _ and  _ why _ ?” Aya asks, her eyes wide, confusion dancing in her gaze. She is cooking something for dinner, and the smell of whatever broth she is concocting is so strong that it wafts into the entire small, apartment unit they share - the only small semblance of child support his father gave him, which even then, was given begrudgingly to avoid penalties of child negligence. Aya can cook alright, but sometimes she can get a little...adventurous with her ideas.

Oh well; his classmate Haruka will surely eat whatever Aya gives him so it doesn’t matter.

“Do you remember the story of the cursed village?” Tamaki asks.

Aya wrinkles her nose. “The one Mom told us as bedtime stories? A little bit. Why?”

“I’ve always wanted to see if it’s real,” Tamaki admits.

“Isn’t that just a legend though?”

“Mom sounded as if she’s been there personally,” Tamaki argues. 

"Okay, but do you even know where it is?" Aya asks dubiously.

“I have an  _ idea _ …”

Aya stares, arms crossed, the ladle still in her hands. Tamaki winces. He knows his sister won’t be convinced with just an ‘idea’ of where it might be. 

“I’ll be fine,” Tamaki insists, “Consider it as a little summer vacation. I’ll be gone for only a few weeks. You’ll be fine, right? You can even invite that boyfriend of yours over if you want.”

Aya colors - taking the intended bait. “Haru-chan is not my boyfriend!” she sputters, turning around with a huff. “Stupid Onii-chan.” But she continues stirring whatever it is in the steel pot, the conversation seemingly over. Tamaki breathes a sigh of relief. He’ll have to think of a better argument next time.

‘Next time’ ends up being right after dinner, with Aya hugging a pillow tightly, looking him with wide eyes as she makes him promise that he won’t be doing anything stupid while he’s gone, and to call her occasionally to check in.

“Tsumugi-nee will come over to look after me while you’re gone,” she adds, referring to Tamaki’s former home tutor, and is now Aya’s, helping her catch up with school. 

“Thanks, Aya,” Tamaki says with a smile, patting Aya’s head affectionately, “I promise I won’t do anything dumb.” He laughs. “What’s the worst that could happen? Me getting lost?”

He does, in fact, get lost.

A week has passed since the conversation with his little sister, and after waving goodbye to both her and Tsumugi, who graciously offered to stay in his apartment while he’s gone, he took the bus to where he believed would lead him to a small onsen located somewhere in the north. 

He must have taken the wrong bus, or missed his stop, because the sights he’s seeing does not match the pamphlet he saved on his phone. He sighs heavily as he stares at the bus stop sign, his duffle bag in hand. He is currently in the middle of nowhere, it’s getting dark, and worst of all, he’s  _ starving _ . 

First day as an aspiring folklorist is not going well so far. 

He checks his wallet - at least he still has enough money to stay somewhere if he could find an inn or anything similar in the area. He scans his surroundings, and his eyes almost instantly catch sight of a dirt pathway on his right. He walks towards it cautiously, and sure enough, the pathway is leading up to somewhere off the main highway, parting through a thin forest. 

Tamaki looks left and right. There aren’t any cars around from as far as the eye could see, and waiting for the next bus could possibly lead him to waste an entire day. He eyes the dirt path again, considering his options.

Don’t do anything dumb, Aya said.

“Sorry, Aya,” Tamaki says with a sigh, “Your Onii-chan has to break that promise.”

He slings his duffle back onto his shoulders and begins following the dirt path.

When the forest begins to grow dense and the path doesn’t seem to end, Tamaki grows nervous. He eyes the sky above him apprehensively. It had been early evening when he reached here; now the orange and pink hues in the sky are darkening, and very soon the sun will set. If Tamaki doesn’t find a place to stay soon, he’ll have to spend his first night outdoors, in the dark.

Vulnerable to whatever is out there. 

He hastens his steps, tightening his hold on his duffle bag. He isn’t worried about sleeping outdoors - he’d done that plenty of times, either for school trips or even running away from his father when he was little - but the idea of being at the mercy of whatever dwells in this forest doesn’t sit right with Tamaki. He’d rather not be eaten by tigers or bears or whatever sort of beasts on his first day of “vacation”, thank you very much.

Ignoring his stomach’s steady growling and hunger pangs, Tamaki continues walking. The path looks man-made, anyway, so it must lead somewhere. Wherever it leads to, Tamaki hopes it’s safe enough to be made into a temporary shelter while he waits for morning.

Further along the path, Tamaki spots a tall shape in the distance. Squinting his eyes, the shape eventually morphs into what appears to be a building. The building looks old the nearer Tamaki is to it - vines scale its walls, where the paint is already peeling. Leaves are scattered everywhere on the courtyard and the steps leading up to the main door. It has a slanted roof with pointed ends, and a red archway stands tall in front of the building. Beside one of the pillars of the archway, stands a small statue of a woman with her eyes closed and hands clasped together. 

“Is this a shrine?” Tamaki mumbles to himself, “What’s it doing in the middle of a forest?” The dense leaves of the trees prevent much sunlight in the area too, so the old shrine looks murky and desolate, even from where Tamaki stands. 

Still. If there is a shrine, there must be at least one caretaker. Perhaps a friendly priest or priestess even. Tamaki takes a deep breath and steps inside the courtyard, looking around. His footsteps echo against the stone pathway, and his breathing is loud in his ears.

“Hello?” he calls out, “Is there a caretaker here?”

Silence.

“I’m Yotsuba Tamaki. I came from the city and got lost. Do you mind if I take shelter here for the night?” Tamaki asks in a loud voice.

He waits, but no one responds. Taking in the unswept courtyard and the generally poor condition of the shrine’s exterior, Tamaki comes to the conclusion that this shrine might be abandoned after all. He sighs. As if suddenly remembering something, Tamaki turns back towards the archway, where the small statue sits. From the way the woman is dressed, Tamaki guesses that this might be the deity enshrined here.

Tamaki is not a religious person, but he knows basic decency to ask for permission before staying in someone’s home. Even if the person is a statue.

He stands in front of the statue before bowing deeply. “I’ll be imposing on you for tonight! Please excuse me. I won’t make a mess.”

After doing so, he straightens back up and walks back into the shrine’s courtyard. Spotting the main door, he carefully walks up the wooden steps leading up to it and places a palm flat against the door’s surface. He pushes.

The door opens easily with a tiny creak.

“Luck must be on my side after all,” Tamaki says triumphantly. “First, I should probably clean this place up a little though,” he adds with a sigh. He might be desperate, but he would prefer not to sleep blanketed by dust and other things in this shrine after perhaps years of being abandoned. 

Besides, he’s pretty sure the deity statue would prefer a clean home.

As he busies himself with looking around the shrine for a broom or anything he could use to clean it up, he’s unaware of a pair of red slitted eyes, spying on him from a tree overlooking the shrine.

When Tamaki wakes up, he realizes two things:

  1. He didn’t remember falling asleep.
  2. He’s in the shrine’s main hall, which now looked clean and well-swept.



There is also someone peeking at him from the creak of the door. Someone with deep red eyes and scales on their face. Tamaki does the first thing his brain thinks of.

He screams.

The person at the door becomes startled by the scream and stumbles back, but loses their footing and ends up falling to the ground. Tamaki stops screaming long enough to hear the yelp of pain coming from the other person. He carefully crawls over to the door and peeks outside.

The person turns out to be a boy - who looks to be slightly older than him by a few years - with light hair and pale skin littered with patches of purplish scales. His red eyes are slit but from where Tamaki is, he could see the tears gathering in those eyes and the downturn of the person’s lips.

When a choked sob escapes the boy’s lips, followed by the steady trail of tears, Tamaki finally realizes one thing.

Ah, the person’s knees are bleeding.

“Ah, crap!” In spite of his initial surprise, Tamaki hurriedly stands up and walks over to the boy, holding his hands in a placating gesture when the latter flinches at his sudden advance towards him. “I won’t hurt you. Well, I mean, er… you’re already hurt so I - I’m sorry about that.” He mentally smacks himself. “I just want to take a look at your injuries. Is that...Is that okay?” 

The boy merely stares at him in response. He is still silently crying, but he lets Tamaki approach him, even extending his knees towards him.

“I’m sorry for startling you,” Tamaki says ruefully as he examines the boy’s wounds, “I didn’t think anyone lived here.” He takes in the boy’s attire - he seems to be wearing an old-looking kimono, its faded fabric muting the no doubt once-brilliant blue hue, with a black haori draped across the boy’s small shoulders. “Are you this shrine’s caretaker?”

The boy stares through his watery eyes, not saying a word.

“I have some bandages in my bag. Wait here.” As Tamaki stands up, he notices one additional feature on the boy’s face - sort of complimenting his scales and slitted eyes. There are two small horns protruding out of his forehead, with beads made out of bones hanging on them with a string. Attached to one of the beads is a silver bell, which chimes softly with every movement.

His mother’s words suddenly ring in his head - words told many years ago during quiet nights when his father is not around.

_ The child chosen by the gods will resemble a dragon from birth - marked with scales and brilliant red eyes, and tiny horns on their forehead.  _

This boy in front of him...could it be…?

“What’s your name?” Tamaki asks a while later, while bandaging the boy’s knees. Ah, he should probably stop mentally referring to him as a boy, since he looks like he’s older than him. The softness of his features despite his markings doesn’t help, though. 

The boy blinks once, uncomprehending. Tamaki thinks he must have not heard him. “May I know your name?” he tries again.

The boy’s blank expression doesn’t change. 

However, he reaches inside the pocket of his haori and takes out a stick - who keeps sticks in their pockets, though? - before he starts writing on the soil. Tamaki peers at it curiously.

_ I don't understand what you’re saying...I don’t understand spoken words. _

Ah. That explains it. Though this raises more questions in Tamaki’s head, he pushes them away for the time being in favour to write out his question on the ground with his finger.

_ “What is your name?” _ he writes.

The boy smiles, finally being able to understand the question. Enthusiastically, he begins writing his reply. 

Sou-go.

Sougo.

_ “Sougo?”  _ Tamaki asks.

Sougo nods, looking a little shy.

_ “You can’t speak?” _

Sougo shakes his head and starts writing on the ground again.

_ I don’t know how. I was never taught.  _

Tamaki frowns. He’s heard of people being able to speak but not read and write, but the complete opposite is uncommon to him. He hears the sound of scratching and realizes Sougo is writing on the ground again. For someone who nearly wanted to run away from him before, he seems eager to communicate with him now.

_ No one spoke to me,  _ says Sougo,  _ so I don’t know what words sound like. Though I know what they meant. _

Tamaki’s frown deepens.  _ “You live here alone?” _

Sougo hesitates.  _ For the past couple of decades, I used to be cared for by priestesses. But they never spoke to me.  _

_ “Then how did you communicate with them?” _

_ Like this. _

‘This’ probably refers to written words, which explains how Sougo must have eventually learnt how to read and understand words but never knew how to sound them out. How strange. Why wouldn’t the priestesses talk to him while they raised him? Seems like a terribly lonely way to grow up. A steady ache grows in Tamaki’s heart when this thought crosses his mind.

He hears the sound of scratching again.

_ Aren’t you… afraid of me?  _

Sougo is staring at him unblinkingly after he wrote this, and Tamaki could see a sliver of fear dancing in his eyes. His red irises, along with the patches of scales on his face and the small horns on his forehead indeed gives Sougo an inhuman look - one which couldn’t be ignored even if Tamaki tries to. Any normal person would have been afraid. Even Tamaki himself was shocked initially.

But Tamaki also has a hunch of what he is. His mother’s stories told him he is already many steps forward in finding what he is looking for.

_ “You’re the chosen Dragon God, aren’t you?” _ Tamaki asks slowly,  _ “The ones from the legends.” _

Sougo’s face visibly lights up, as if pleased that Tamaki knows what he really is, before it falters and Sougo begins to look apprehensive again. 

_ “I’m not gonna do anything,” _ Tamaki says hurriedly,  _ “I just...I’m happy, actually. That I got to meet you.” _

Sougo narrows his eyes.  _ Why would you be happy? Don’t you know why I’m like this? _

_ “A curse. I know. My mother used to tell me stories about it.” _ Tamaki hesitates. “ _ Your family...are they…?” _

_ I have never met them.  _

_ “Why?” _

_ I was sent away since birth. I’m not allowed to see them. _

Tamaki doesn’t need to ask why. He knows what the curse entails. But still - to never be allowed to see your family because of something you had no control over; Tamaki thinks it’s really sad. The pair sit in silence, with Tamaki finishing bandaging Sougo’s knees without a word.

_ Thank you. _ Sougo gives him a smile after writing those words - a small but perhaps shy one, but genuine, nevertheless. 

Before Tamaki could stop himself, the words he had been thinking fly out of his mouth.

_ “Tamaki. My name is Tamaki. Do you…” _ Tamaki hesitates, suddenly embarrassed. He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.  _ “Do you want to try and say it?” _

Sougo doesn’t write anything in reply but he tilts his head to the side at the question, seemingly interested.

“Tamaki,” Tamaki says slowly, out loud this time, “Ta-ma-ki.”

Sougo visibly hesitates, unsure of what to do. Tamaki offers him an encouraging smile, waiting patiently. Sougo chews his bottom lip before he opens his mouth.

“Ta…” he says before stopping, unable to continue, or not wanting to. The voice that escapes his lips is hoarse from disuse, but Tamaki can hear the light lilt to it. Even Sougo looks surprised at hearing his own voice.

He didn’t manage to finish saying his name, but Tamaki’s heart is already soaring.

Tamaki quickly sees the shrine as his home away from home for the rest of the trip. He learns that Sougo has been the one taking care of it, though he’s been doing it alone for the past few years. Before this, there had been priestesses - the ones who raised him since he was a helpless baby.

Tamaki listens quietly as Sougo recounts his years with them - how the priestesses were kind and sympathetic, but also distant and perhaps even unloving. They taught him words, but never spoke to him, and aside from the occasional snatches of conversations they had among themselves when they thought Sougo wasn’t listening, Sougo very rarely heard them speak.

This led to him unable to learn how to sound the words he was taught and eventually led to him not knowing how to talk.

“That’s...terrible,” Tamaki murmurs. When Sougo looks at him uncomprehendingly, he suddenly remembers that this also meant that Sougo doesn’t understand spoken words. Tamaki quickly takes the pen and notebook he brought for notes and writes down his sentences.

_ “Where are they now?”  _ Tamaki writes,  _ “The priestesses.” _

Sougo doesn’t hesitate.

_ They’re dead.  _

Tamaki stills. It’s a thought that had flashed through his mind before, but confirming it with his own eyes feels very different. He hesitates, unsure as to whether he should ask his next question, but Sougo is already writing in his notebook - given to him by Tamaki to communicate with him -, as if reading his mind.

_ Robbers came to the shrine one day. I couldn’t fight them off. I was still too weak. One priestess managed to hide me away, but by the time I got out of my hiding place, all of them were dead. _

There is no expression on Sougo’s face as he writes this. It almost feels as if he’s describing the weather, from the detached way he writes it. It probably feels like a distant memory to him now. But still, Tamaki couldn’t help but to shiver. If it were him, Tamaki isn’t sure if he could escape without being traumatized.

He doesn’t ask anymore on the matter after that, and instead focuses on teaching Sougo how to speak. The boy seems interested in learning, though he is visibly hesitant in using his voice.

He calls him “Taa” more often now - a fact that Tamaki takes delight in. 

“Sougo,” he says to him one day over a modest dinner of rice balls, ones that Sougo makes himself. He writes in Sougo’s notebook.  _ “That’s how you say your name.” _

Sougo nods slowly, chewing his food slowly. There is rice stuck on his cheek. Tamaki thinks it’s cute. 

“Sou…” Sougo tries, his voice tiny. He bites his lip, looking at Tamaki with uncertainty. “Sou….?”

Tamaki laughs. “Sou is good enough. Hehe. It sounds like a nickname even. Sou-chan.”

“Sou!” Sougo repeats, louder this time. Tamaki isn’t sure if he understands what Tamaki just said, but he seems to pick up his own name just fine. “Sou! Sou!”   


Tamaki smiles widely. The Dragon God in front of him is really cute. He really can’t associate him as someone who supposedly bears a devastating curse.

_ “That’s right,”  _ Tamaki writes,  _ “I’m Taa and you’re Sou.”  _

“Sou,” Sougo says again, softly and with wonder seeping into his tone.

Tamaki commits his voice into his memory. 

“Taa...you ... do ...what?”

Tamaki looks up from his pile of notes. “Oh, you’re awake, Sou-chan?” He sees Sougo peeking through the door of the main hall, only walking towards him after he motions him forward with a wave of his hand. Sougo is in his familiar dull blue robes, now patched up by Tamaki a few days ago. He stops in front of Tamaki before sitting politely in a neat seiza.

Tamaki raises his eyebrows, looking down at his own casual cross-legged position. Between the two of them, one wonders who really is the one raised in the wild.

Sougo blinks up at him, eyes wide. Despite his inhumane features, he looks very much like a child. 

“I’m doing research! About the village,” Tamaki explains. 

“Re...search….?” Sougo says slowly, the word no doubt foreign on his tongue, Sougo is a fast learner, and now understands quite a handful of spoken words, like ‘food’ and ‘sleep’. This is probably because he already recognizes an extensive written vocabulary - once Tamaki writes the word out, he immediately understands which word he is referring to.

“Here.” Tamaki writes the word in his notebook. “Research. Do you know what that means?”

Sougo’s face instantly lights up once he reads it. He nods. “Sou knows!”

Tamaki smiles. “Sougo. You sure you don’t want to try saying your full name?”

Sougo tilts his head, smiling serenely. “Sou…?”

Tamaki laughs. “Whatever makes you happy, I guess.” He looks back down onto his notes. “Anyway, I’ve been trying to find clues as to where your village might be. The shrine’s records you gave me helped a lot - the priestesses sure were meticulous with their notes - but I feel like I’m still grasping at straws.” He frowns. “I know it must be here somewhere. I could feel it.”

“Taa….?”

Sougo is staring blankly at him. Ah. Tamaki realizes he’s been speaking out loud the entire time. Judging from Sougo’s expression, he guesses that he doesn’t understand him fully. 

“Your village,” Tamaki repeats, “Do you...have any more...clues….?” 

Sougo looks as if he understands some parts of the sentence this time, slowly shaking his head. “Sou...not allowed….”

He quickly takes out his own notebook from his sleeves and begins writing. It seems he’s not ready to speak long sentences to him just yet. 

_ I don’t know where the village is. The priestesses never told me. Since I’m never allowed to step in. _

Tamaki frowns. “But aren’t you curious?”

“Curious...why?” says Sougo carefully.

“Your family. You don’t want to see them?”

Sougo’s expression turns conflicted at the word ‘family’. He chews on his bottom lip, his gaze dropped to his lap. Tamaki winces. He must have hit a particular bad spot. He mentally smacks himself.

“Ah, I mean -,”

“Sou…” Sougo hesitantly meets Tamaki’s gaze. “Sou want… to.”

“Eh?”

“Family. Sou want to meet them.” 

Tamaki blinks. “Are you sure?”

Sougo nods. 

Tamaki’s gaze softens. As if driven by instinct, he reaches out to pat Sougo’s soft hair. Sougo’s slitted pupils dilate slightly as he grins happily, leaning into the touch. As much as it makes Tamaki happy to see him warm up to him, his reactions also cause Tamaki’s heart to twist. He wonders if the priestesses who took care of him in the past ever showed him affection, or was Sougo starved from it for the past two decades.

He’s not entirely sure whether he wants to know the answer.

“Then I’ll try my best to find them for you, okay?” says Tamaki.

Sougo nods once. “Okay.”

It’s been 10 days since Tamaki’s fateful encounter with Sougo and makes the shrine his temporary home. Aya also calls for the first time.

_ “Onii-chan! You forgot about me, didn’t you?” _ she says through the phone, her tone accusing, _ “I’ve been waiting and waiting for your call and it never came! I was worried that something had happened to you!” _

In the background, Tamaki can faintly hear Tsumugi trying to placate Aya. He winces.

“I’m sorry, Aya. I’m in the jungle right now, so the reception wasn’t the best. I’m surprised your call went through.”

_ “In the jungle? Have you started looking for this village already?” _

“I’m…” Tamaki glances at the pile of notes on the floor - a map filled with red scribbles being among them - and considers his next words. “I’m making progress.”

_ “Onii-chan, if you can’t find it, don’t hesitate to just come home, okay? You promised only a few weeks, so I’ll keep count!” _ Aya replies. She sounds incredibly hopeful, and Tamaki couldn’t really blame her. With an impossible task of searching something out of a legend, he’s not surprised if Aya wants him to give up sooner and just come home. If it was Aya on this trip, he might have done the same.

But.

“Ta...ma...ki…? I brought tea.” Sougo kneels beside him, placing a steaming cup of tea onto the floor. His speech is improving by leaps and bounds, and he’s becoming more confident to speak longer sentences. Tamaki’s heart surges with pride. He gives Sougo a pat on the head - some sort of habit now between the two of them whenever Sougo learnt something new and did something well. 

The fact that Sougo, the Dragon God himself, is here with him means the village is out there. His mother’s stories are not just a mere impossible task.

“I’ll be home as soon as I can, okay? Say hi to Tsumugi for me.” 

He hangs up before Aya could protest even more, before turning towards Sougo. Sougo is looking at the phone in his hand curiously, even reaching out to touch it.

“Do you know what this is?” Tamaki asks.

Sougo shakes his head. Well, Tamaki supposes he doesn’t. Being raised the way he was, Tamaki wonders if he was ever exposed to proper technology.

“This is a cell phone,” Tamaki explains, “Cell...phone.”

“Cell….phone,” Sougo repeats obediently, testing the word on his tongue.

“It allows you to call someone from far away. Even if we’re separated, as long as each of us have this, we can hear each other’s voices. Well...most of the time, anyway.”

Sougo’s face lights up with fascination. “Like magic!”

Tamaki laughs. “I guess so. Technology can be pretty magical.” He holds out the cell phone towards Sougo. “Here. Wanna play around with it?” It’s not his usual smartphone - he left that one at home, and instead bought a cheap, disposable phone useful only for calling and text messaging. But to Sougo, it’s as if he received an ancient treasure.

His eyes are wide as he takes the phone, already fiddling with the buttons. 

Tamaki brings his knees up to his chest, propping his chin on it as he watches Sougo study the object in his hands. There is a soft smile playing on his lips, which grows in tandem with the excitement in Sougo’s eyes. Sougo must have pressed on a button for the music player - a song starts to play, and Sougo drops the phone onto the floor, startled by the sudden sound. He quickly casts an apologetic look towards Tamaki.

“Sorry! I...I…” Sougo visibly struggles to search for the correct word to say. Tamaki quickly takes his hand, rubbing circles on the back of his palm.

“It’s okay, Sou-chan,” he reassures, “It’s not your fault.” He takes the phone from the floor, and shows Sougo the screen, where a music icon is displayed. “This is a music player. Uh...like a radio?”

Sougo furrows his brows in confusion. “Not cell phone?”

“It’s a cell phone and a music player,” Tamaki clarifies, “Like magic.”

“Like magic,” Sougo repeats. He hesitantly reaches out for the phone again. “Can...I…?”

“Sure. Here, let me teach you how to use it.” 

Turns out that Sougo is not just a fast learner when it comes to speaking, but also with technology. Perhaps the phone in his hands is simple enough to use, but before long, Sougo is already excitedly going through the list of songs Tamaki downloaded into the phone. The phone memory had been meager - almost to the point of dreadful - but it was enough for several songs and that alone manages to entertain Sougo greatly.

He makes an excited sound when a new song plays, clapping his hands together. Tamaki feels the corner of his lips lift.

Sougo radiates so much innocence and purity - even as isolated and alone and perhaps even lonely as he is. If Tamaki had been in his place, he’s not sure if he can be as...eager about the world as Sougo seems to be.

There is a strange feeling settling in his chest, and his throat suddenly feels tight. Before he realizes it, his mouth opens to speak.

“Hey, Sou-chan.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know how...your curse can be broken?” 

Tamaki swallows. He’s not sure why he even said that question out loud. He smacks himself mentally for it, and waits with bated breath for Sougo’s reaction. 

The last song in Tamaki’s playlist ends at that moment, and the last note hangs loudly in the air, before silence descends. In front of him, with his gaze still locked on the phone in his hands, Sougo says nothing. His expression doesn’t change. It is almost as if he did not hear the question in the first place.

“Sou-chan, you don’t have to -,”

Sougo holds up a hand. Tamaki’s words instantly die in his throat. He watches as Sougo takes out his notebook and pen from the pocket of his haori, and begins writing. The sentence is short, but when Tamaki reads it, it is enough to stop all of his train of thoughts. He couldn’t speak. The lump in his throat is heavy and unmoving.

_ The end of the curse is the end of my family. _

The curse, which lasts for seven generations of the Dragon God’s bloodline, will end prematurely if the last living member of the family is no more.

In other words, Sougo’s family has to cease to exist if Sougo hopes to break the curse.

That’s…

That’s -

“That’s cruel,” Tamaki whispers to himself. It is night and Sougo is curled up beside him on the futon, fast asleep. His breathing is even and quiet, and his body subconsciously curls in closer against Tamaki’s side. His tiny horns graze Tamaki’s forearm - the sensation is ticklish but painless. Tamaki wraps an arm around Sougo’s shoulder, tucking him securely.

He looks at Sougo’s face, taking in his features - both their softness and alieness, which ironically forms a good match. His lips are parted, and Sougo makes a sound in his sleep. 

“Tamaki…” he sighs. Then he is quiet. 

Tamaki’s heart squeezes.

“Your fate is really too cruel, Sou-chan,” he murmurs.

That night, Tamaki makes a decision.

“See my...family?’

Sougo sits primly in front of Tamaki, a bowl of rice in his hands. There is a rice grain on his cheek - one that Tamaki absently wipes off. 

“I have an idea of where your village might be. Based on the stories my mom told me and the notes the priestesses left, I think it’s actually not too far from here.” Tamaki gives Sougo a serious look. “Your family sent you away in hopes to negate the curse, but I feel that you deserve to see them. At least, from afar.” He meets Sougo’s gaze carefully. “Do you...want to?”

Sougo puts down his bowl onto the floor. “I want to,” he replies, “But..”

“But?”   
  


Sougo hesitates. “I’m scared.” 

Judging from his expression, it seems that he wants to say more, but those two words are more than enough to reflect his thoughts. Tamaki reaches out and cups Sougo’s cheek. Sougo’s eyes blink slowly, his expression unsure.

“I’ll be with you,” Tamaki comforts. He hurriedly writes onto the notebook he keeps with him.

_ “I’ll be with you at every step of the way,”  _ he writes.

Sougo’s eyes soften and he nods.

“Thank you,” he says, and Tamaki instantly knows his words, as simple as they are, are sincere.

Tamaki sees it. He nearly doesn’t believe his eyes. He sees it. The tall red pillar in the distance, a dragon statue sitting on the very top.

_ The village greets its visitors with a reminder,  _ the priestesses’ notes had said.

“You are always under the scrutiny of the dragon god,” Tamaki murmurs the rest. He could barely keep the awe from his tone.

It had taken Tamaki and Sougo a full day of hiking through the forest to finally find the landmark. Sougo trails behind him, one of Tamaki’s smaller bags hung on his small shoulders. He stares at the direction Tamaki is looking at it, his slitted pupils dilating a little once he catches sight of the pillar. His mouth parts.

“Tamaki…,” he whispers, “That…”

“That must be it,” Tamaki whispers back, “We found it, Sou-chan. We found your village.” 

Convincing Sougo to leave the safety of his temple had been admittedly hard and Tamaki could understand why - the boy has not left the place even once since the day he was sent there as an infant. He was forbidden to leave the area, and he became too scared and too used to the warning to even try to after he was left all alone. 

But once he had taken the first step outside of the temple’s courtyard, it was as if he could not stop moving forward.

Tamaki and Sougo walk towards the pillar, the forest eventually starting to thin out with every step taken. A path soon forms beneath their feet, further confirming that they are going the right away. Tamaki could feel his heart beating faster - he’s nervous, and more than he anticipates. He glances at Sougo, who walked beside him wordlessly. His expression, aside from the slow blinking of his eyes, gives nothing away.

If Tamaki is nervous, he can’t possibly imagine how Sougo feels. 

In the distance, Tamaki could see wooden houses with slanted roofs lined up on both sides of the path. The pillar seems much bigger now that they have closed the distance between them, situated in the middle of the village. The dragon god statue on top looms ominously over the village.

Like a reminder.

Beside him, Sougo abruptly stills. Tamaki is about to ask what is wrong, when he hears a voice. It sounds angry, shocked, and most importantly, incredibly frightened.

“What are  _ you  _ doing here?” 

There is a man standing in front of them. His head is barely covered by his greying, thin hair, and his sunken eyes only adds to the severity of his face. There are lines on his forehead, which deepen the moment his gaze caught sight of Tamaki.

Then, it moves towards Sougo. Tamaki could see the very moment the man registers the features on Sougo’s face.

His slitted eyes.

The scales.

His horns.

“You--!” the man shouts, “What are you doing here?!” He gestures wildly at them. His outburst attracts nearby villagers. Most of them are young men, with a few women and children getting into the mix. Though they have all varying appearances, they share one common characteristic in their expressions.

Misery.

Beside him, Sougo begins to tremble, and Tamaki could hear his breathing quickening. Instinctively, he moves to shield Sougo from the crowd, but it is too late. An old woman spots him and after gasping in shock, she starts screaming.

“It’s the Dragon God! The cursed child from decades ago! He escaped the temple!”

“What?! What happened to the priestesses? Weren’t they supposed to monitor him?!” demands another villager.

Sougo’s trembling grows worse and Tamaki grits his teeth. He turns angrily towards the crowd, his stare boring into the first man. “He just wants to see his family!” Tamaki protests, “He doesn’t even need to meet them. He just wants to see them with his own eyes! He’s…” Tamaki’s jaw hardens. “He’s not some monster you have to lock away!”

“What do you know?” asks the first man coldly, “Do you see how miserable we look? Do you think the state of this village looks fine to you?” He points angrily at Tamaki, rage visible on his face. “His curse was supposed to affect only his family, but instead, it’s starting to affect everyone!”   
  


“Yeah!” a villager pipes in, “We haven’t had proper harvest in years! Rain rarely blesses us anymore, and everyone is getting sick. In fact, ever since that kid’s mom died from it,  _ everyone  _ is dying from it!”

Tamaki stills. Behind him, Sougo stops shaking. 

“What… did you say?” Tamaki asks, his voice distant to his own ears.

The first man stares at him coldly. “My wife died first. The curse killed his own mother.” 

Wife…?

“Then you must be…” Tamaki breathed out.

His father. The man standing in front of them is none other than Sougo’s father. 

Tamaki hears footsteps. Sougo hesitantly slowly comes out from behind Tamaki’s back, drawing in startled gasps and hushed whispers as he comes into view. He turns to Tamaki once, looking at his face as if searching for answers. Then, he turns around and begins slowly approaching his father.

“Fa...ther?” he calls out. He reaches out.

The effect is instantaneous.

“Don’t touch me!” Sougo’s father snarls, pushing him away. Sougo, not expecting it, falls to the ground ungracefully, hitting his knees and elbows painfully against the hard soil. 

“Sou-chan!” Tamaki cries out. 

“Leave!” Sougo’s father screams as Tamaki rushes to Sougo’s side. “Leave this village! You’re not welcomed here!”

The rest of the villagers joined in - some already picking up tiny rocks and throwing it at Tamaki and Sougo. Sougo’s eyes shine with unshed tears, his bottom lip trembling as he ducks his head. Tamaki grits his teeth, feeling rage coursing through his body.

He helps Sougo to his feet, and grabs his hand. Giving one last glare at Sougo’s father, and the hateful villagers, he pulls Sougo away and runs.

Tamaki is not sure how long he has been running, pulling Sougo along with him, when he feels Sougo’s hand slip out from his grasp, followed by a falling noise, he stops in his tracks and turns around. His eyes widen when he sees Sougo on his knees on the ground, his head ducked. His fingers are clawing the soil.

He is shaking again.

“Sou-chan…” Tamaki kneels beside Sougo, and lifts his chin up with his fingers. The first thing he sees are the droplets of tears trailing down Sougo’s cheek. 

“Ta….” Sougo sobs pitifully, unable to even finish saying Tamaki’s name. “Scared…scared…”

Tamaki’s heart twists painfully in his chest. He hesitates for only half a second before he moves to gather Sougo into his arms. “I’m sorry,” says Tamaki hoarsely, “I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have brought you there.”

Sougo says nothing, only grabbing the front of Tamaki’s shirt as he continues to cry. 

“You --!”

Tamaki’s head snaps up. Sougo stills in his arms.

His father is standing in front of them. He is breathing hard, clearly from running all the way here. He still has the same expression filled with rage, now accompanied with a wild look in his eyes that was not previously there. Tamaki’s gaze slides to the item in his hand.

It is a sickle. 

“You,” his father snarls, eyes fixed on Tamaki’s face, “I can’t allow an outsider like you to be near that cursed child. You’ll take him away, won’t you?”

Tamaki’s hold on Sougo tightens. He glares defiantly at the man. “So what?”

“You’ll worsen the curse! If he leaves this mountain, his curse will magnify and will kill us all!” Sougo’s father spits on the ground before brandishing the sickle, waving it wildly between them. “You best leave if you know what’s best for you.”

“I won’t leave him alone here,” Tamaki answers resolutely. Still holding Sougo, he gets to his feet, pulling Sougo with him. “ _ You’re _ the one who should leave.”

“Why you--!”

“Sou-chan, run!”

He pushes Sougo away from him and throws himself against Sougo’s father, tackling him to the ground. Sougo watches in horror as the pair struggle, with Tamaki trying to reach for the sickle in his father’s hand. “Run, Sou-chan! Just go!” Tamaki shouts when he sees Sougo still rooted to the spot.

“But -,”

“Go!”

With a cry, Sougo turns around and runs. His father, upon noticing him leaving, lets out an angry growl and uses all his energy to push Tamaki off of him, before punching him in the face. The impact of his fist against Tamaki’s jaw takes him by surprise, and it knocks him out for a few seconds. When he comes to, with stars in his vision, Sougo’s father is already chasing after Sougo.

“Sou-chan!” Tamaki scrambles to his feet and takes off. He whips his head left and right trying to find Sougo, his heart hammering heavily in his chest. “Sou-chan, where are you?!”

There is a scream. It sounds exactly like Sougo’s. Tamaki’s fear intensifies, and without wasting a breath, he runs towards the direction of the scream.

It leads him to the edge of the cliff, and from a distance, he could see two figures standing near it.

“Let go!” Sougo screams, trying in vain to pull his hand away from his father’s grip. He spots Tamaki and screams louder. “Tamaki...save me!! Help! Help!”

“Stop struggling!” his father roars, “I’ll send you back to the temple and lock you there until you die! Then, I’ll be free from this goddamn curse!”

Sougo continues to struggle, dragging his feet on the ground. His father’s grip must have tightened, as Sougo suddenly lets out a pained scream and twists his arm in an attempt to free himself. 

Sougo’s father turns to him angrily. “I told you to -,”

With all of his strength, Sougo manages to push his father away, but gravity brings his father’s body towards a certain direction. Tamaki’s eyes widen as he watches the scene unfold from him.

Sougo’s father is sent sprawling to the edge of the cliff, and before he could stop himself, his body rolls right off the ground. Sougo’s expression morphs into shock as his father falls into the air.

There is a scream. Followed by a faint thud in the distance. Then, there is nothing at all.

“Sou-chan!” Tamaki calls out as he runs towards Sougo’s still form. “Are you al-”

Tamaki could only watch as Sougo sways to the side, before collapsing to the ground. 

Sougo has been staring at the mirror since he woke up five minutes ago. Tamaki doesn’t blame him.

“Tamaki…” he breathes in wonder, “I look….”

_ Different.  _

“Don’t move around too much,” Tamaki chides, pressing a hand against Sougo’s chest to push him back down onto the futon, “You’re injured.” 

Lying on his futon, Sougo looks up with him with wide eyes. His wide, normal, human-looking eyes.

The Sougo in front of him now no longer has horns on his forehead, no slitted eyes, no scales on his face. The Sougo in front of him now looks like a normal human. On that fateful day at the edge of the cliff, upon the unexpected death of his father, Sougo is now the last of his line.

Upon the death of his father, Sougo’s curse is lifted, and now, he is no longer the cursed Dragon God, but a normal human being.

Sougo had cried when he first saw his human eyes in the mirror. Tamaki couldn’t say he wasn’t emotional, either.

While taking care of the unconscious, now human Sougo for the past several days in the temple, Tamaki also discovered another revelation. He found another set of notes hidden away in one of the locked drawers he managed to force open. A set of notes written in a style that Tamaki recognized.

His mother’s. 

The story she told him and Aya during childhood were her own experiences after stumbling upon this very temple many years ago. Sougo was barely a toddler then, and the priestesses who granted her shelter told her the tale of the curse, along with the confession of their regrets of not being able to do anything for Sougo, who was thrown away by others for something he could not control. Their regrets of being unable to love him properly for the fear of attachment.

_ The woman, _ the notes had said,  _ promises to tell the story of the curse to her children in the future, with the hope that her children could achieve something she and we can’t - change the Dragon child’s fate.  _

His mother had told him and Aya the story with the hopes that one of them could achieve this goal. Tamaki achieved it, even though his initial intention was to merely find the village in his mother’s story. Regardless, he is glad he fulfilled his mother’s wish.

“Sou-chan,” he says.

Sougo turns to him. “Yes?”

Tamaki doesn’t hesitate. Not now. Not anymore. “Leave this mountain with me.”

There is silence.

“I mean…” Tamaki scratches the back of his neck sheepishly, after realizing how direct his words were, “If you want to. My home is small but it’s better than here, and my sister - Aya, you’ll love her. The city is a little noisy but it has so many things - like the cell phone you liked! So -,” He takes a deep breath. “So…” He looks at Sougo hesitantly. “Will you come home with me, Sou-chan?”

Sougo stares at him wordlessly, and for a brief moment, Tamaki thinks he is about to reject his offer. But then he slowly rises into a sitting position on his futon, and when he meets Tamaki’s gaze, his eyes are shining with unshed tears. 

“Yes,” he whispers, “Yes. Yes. I…” He smiles, and though his lips tremble as he begins to cry silently, his smile is radiant. “I’ll go with you.”

Tamaki does the first thing he could think of.

He moves towards Sougo and pulls him into a warm embrace.

“I’m glad I met you, Sou-chan,” Tamaki whispers hoarsely into Sougo’s shoulder.

Sougo grips the material of Tamaki’s shirt. He shakily nods.

“Mmph. Me too.” 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Kudos/comments/bookmarks are appreciated and you can find me on Twitter at @tennssi0907 !


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